From Vietnam War Refugee To Utah Bar & Restaurant Tycoon: Hoang Nguyen
by MADELINE FERGUSON
Hoang Nguyen is easily one of Utah’s most accomplished women. From Vietnam to Oakland to Salt Lake City, she is proud to call Utah her home.
Nguyen and her family own some of Salt Lake City’s best and most distinguished eating establishments through Sapa Investments. The name of the business likely clues you in on one of their most prized restaurants: Sapa Sushi and Grill.
Early Days
The Nguyen family, with seven siblings, immigrated as refugees from Vietnam after their father fought on the American side during the Vietnam War. In 1983 they were granted political asylum and moved to Oakland, California.
“It was a pretty dangerous area back then. … My father was learning to become a mechanic. My mom was a dishwasher and a seamstress. We were living in the projects,” Nguyen described her first years in America.
In 1987, her father was killed during a robbery, leaving her mother widowed at 35 with seven kids aged 3-15.
“It was devastating. It was hard being in a brand new country, not really knowing the language and trying to navigate everything. It was a challenging time for our family,” she opened up.
The family moved to Salt Lake City’s West Side after a recommendation from a family member. They visited and later decided to make Utah home in 1992.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I loved growing up on the West Side in the Glendale area. I loved it. I loved the community out there. I learned what it meant to grow up in an area where you are not necessarily part of the main dominant religion … which had a huge influence on the values that were taught in this area,” she described her formative years in Utah.
Finding Success
This is around the time when the family’s venture into the restaurant industry began, when the matriarch of the family opened Utah’s first Pho restaurant. The journey continued with many other restaurants along the way and eventually Sapa Investments. While Mom is retired, the business is still managed by the group of siblings, a true family affair.
“Like many Americans, we are all immigrants searching for a better opportunity than the one we left behind. Through passion, hard work, and dedication, we can all have the opportunity to achieve the American dream,” reads the Sapa Investments site.
You’re sure to know and love some of the family’s hospitality ventures, which include: Sapa Sushi & Grill, Purgatory, Omo and Fillings & Emulsions.
Local Food/Bar Culture
If you’ve never visited one of these establishments, you should make it a point. Start with drinks at Purgatory, which is right next door to Sapa, and finish your night with dessert from Fillings & Emulsions. These hip spots offer luxury-level food and drinks that Salt Lake City falls short on.
Along with being an important piece of Utah’s growing bar and restaurant culture, Ngyuen also gives back to the community with the non-profit arm of the company, which focuses on food equity by sustaining and improving our local food systems.
Inspiring business women like Ngyuen are a vital part of the future of our community. They deserve support from all of us.
“I really do love the people here, just the community and how nice and welcoming this community is,” she concluded.
ADVERTISEMENT
